Sunday, August 7, 2011

Harry Potter & Marked for Greatness

In the Harry Potter series, Harry’s scar is the most important mark in the whole series. The scar shows everyone the he is the “boy who lived”. Harry Potter’s scar is his mark for greatness. “Harry Potter got a Nimbus 2000 last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. Hes not that good, its just because hes famous… famous for having a stupid sear on his forehead.” (Harry Potter 2 CH.4) This was said by Malfoy, Harry’s rival. Harry because of his scar was loved, hated, and feared by others. “All Characters who are as famous for their shape as they are for their behavior.” (Foster 193) Physical marks on a character tell the reader something about the character. The scar makes Harry a little evil because he has Voldemort in him.
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3 comments:

  1. Britt JonesAugust 7, 2011 at 7:28 PM

    That's a great example!!! and also the x-men are a great example for a mark of greatness, because they are outcast, but hold some type of significent to humanity in times of trouble.

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  2. Colin KirklandAugust 7, 2011 at 7:32 PM

    X-men is a good one. All the heros have some kind of transformation that helps them be superheros.

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  3. WillAugust 7, 2011 at 8:34 PM

    This example coincides with the marking of another character, Christopher Paolini's Eragon. While Potter's marking is a scar, it was acquired during his first encounter(and survival) with the Dark Lord. Eragon also acquires a similar marking. When he first touches the dragon(soon to be named Saphira), he is given the Gedwëy Ignasia, which is the mark of the Dragon Rider. This lets the reader know that the character is destined for greatness. As Foster says, "Perhaps sometimes a scar is simply a scar... But more often than not physical markings by their very nature call attention to themselves and signify some psychological or thematic point the writer wants to make" (200).

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